Well, Sen. Barack Obama no longer has that “lock” on the Democratic presidential nomination. Hillary Clinton scored “big” (according to news agencies worldwide) on Tuesday night, which is far from what either candidate admitted to expecting, at least publicly. Whatever one’s feelings or beliefs apropos Clinton, her gratification at serving up a big banquet of crow to those who were insisting she throw in the towel a few weeks ago was well earned.

There were as many pundits who doubted Obama would do as well in Pennsylvania as he had in previous primaries as there were who thought he would smear Clinton once again. Whatever the analysis (and there will be many), there is no question that two things factored prominently in Obama’s transmogrification from the charismatic black prince who was going to change everything and save America to Steve Urkel.

While it is generally wise to take input from submitters to Internet blogs with a hefty grain of salt (or perhaps an entire salt lick), many of their sentiments mirrored those revealed in recent polls and other opinions garnered from the likely voting public by the press.

Factor one: It is evident that many Americans were given pause by the disgusting, racist, anti-American rants of Obama’s former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. While it is quite likely that Obama believed an unequivocal denunciation of Wright would cost him black voters he couldn’t afford to lose, there is a general consensus (among all but the most dedicated Obama devotees) that he should have been far less equivocal in his reaction to Wright, and later James Meeks, another race-baiting Chicago area black pastor. Despite Obama having remained a media darling for some time thereafter, the situation continued to deteriorate as more of his questionable associations became known and people in his camp (including wife Michelle) continued to voice problematic sentiments.

Factor two: As time wore on, Obama’s statements became increasingly implausible and his general comportment un-presidential, smacking of insecurity, annoyance and empty bluster.

“And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values doesn’t make much sense.”

No? Would it reflect on his values if he had associated with a neo-Nazi who bombed black churches and synagogues, beat blacks and Jews and had the deaths of three people on his head? It would appear that here, the candidate holds the view that Ayers’ heinous criminal acts were acceptable since they were committed in the spirit of ’60s radicalism, something the far left appreciates but which mainstream America definitely does not.

“Barack Obama said she [Clinton] would probably win but he hoped to keep it close in Tuesday’s voting.”

– “Obama Predicts Clinton Win in Pennsylvania,” AP, April 21, 2008

Apparently Obama has never heard the expression “leading with the chin.” The alleged intricacies of politics notwithstanding, the lack of prudence in this statement (to put it politely) was positively glaring. Whether he believed it or not is immaterial.

Worse for Obama, some of his former associates – Rev. Wright in particular – are using their newfound notoriety to advance the scope of their influence and their coffers. It doesn’t matter to them if Obama equivocated when he threw them under the bus. They are out for themselves, as they always were, and if Obama has no more use for them, well …

Now that Hillary Clinton is “back in the race,” as the pressure mounts, the question appears to be one of how to keep Obama’s foot out of his mouth, nevermind the zombified skeletons that insist upon lurching out of his closet. His insult to middle America with the “guns and religion” comment was followed up with two more verbal faux pas: The first, his equivocal apology, and second, his response to Hillary Clinton’s accusations of elitism. Obama maintained that he couldn’t be an elitist since he was raised by a single mother on food stamps. Certainly Americans have seen enough examples of “rags-to-riches-to-disconnected elite” to prove the gross fallacy of that statement.

Under stress, Obama cannot seem to avoid insulting Americans’ intelligence. This is, of course, a trait of the far left: They honestly believe that most of us are dense.

Sen. Obama ought not to count on amelioration of that stress or pressure. With the last primaries coming up and the necessity for the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, to begin taking shots, it’s only going to get worse.